1. Technical Field
This invention relates to transport containers, and, more particularly, to a compartmentalized transport container which includes a generally rectangular box having a plurality of upright ribs on the interior walls thereof and at least one generally rectangular compartment having upright ribs on the outer walls thereof, the box ribs and compartment ribs interfitting such that the box slidably receives the compartment in a set position within the box and prevents lateral movement of the compartment within the box.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Safe and secure shipment of materials via air transport is a driving force behind the development of transport containers. The rough handling of baggage by airport personnel is a universal problem. Various types of containers are presently used for shipping purposes, such as styrofoam, plastic or corrugated cardboard boxes and the like. However, when materials are shipped in such boxes, the materials are free to move around within the box, so that even if the box is undamaged by shipping, the materials within the box may be damaged by shifting of those materials. There is therefore a need for a transport container which will prevent substantial lateral shifting of the contents of the container.
Various examples have been proposed in the prior art which attempt to solve this problem. For example, Lanius, U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,445, discloses a container including variable position compartment dividers, Su-Chin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,689, discloses a flexible briefcase accessories compartment assembly structure and Quiggle et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,296,738, discloses a cooler spacer which secures bottles within a cooler. However, each of these devices is limited in the amount of protection which the device supplies to contents of the compartment. Also, very large or very small objects cannot be properly retained to prevent shifting within any of the above-described prior art devices.
The deficiencies in prior art devices are particularly apparent in situations where materials such as training or educational materials, including printed documents, framed transparencies, markers, pens, pencils and other such materials are to be shipped to various locations. It is often found that shipping of such materials in presently available shipping containers may result in the training materials being unusable after shipment. It is often necessary to ship such materials in relatively expensive custom shipping containers which have a usable life span of only a few months. It thus becomes very difficult to ship training materials to various locations around the world in anticipation of training sessions at the shipped-to location. There is therefore a need for a transport container which will safely and easily accommodate such training materials, retaining the training materials in such a manner that substantially no damage is done to the materials within the container.
Also, there is a need for a transport container which will safely ship a variety of materials through the mail. Various mailing containers have been proposed in the prior art, including standard rectangular box plastic containers and the like. However, none of the prior art devices so far suggested provide a system by which the contents of the container are prevented from substantially shifting within the container while the container is being mailed. There is therefore a need for a transport container which will accommodate and restrain a variety of materials for mailing purposes.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved compartmentalized transport container.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a compartmentalized transport container including a generally rectangular open-topped transport box having a plurality of upright box ribs formed on the inner upright surfaces of the transport box, and at least one generally rectangular storage compartment of a size and shape to fit within the transport box, the storage compartment including a plurality of upright compartment ribs on the outer surface thereof, the box ribs and compartment ribs interfitting such that the transport box slidably receives the storage compartment and restricts substantial movement of the storage compartment parallel with the base of the transport box.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a compartmentalized transport container which accommodates various sized storage compartments to allow for transport of various sized items without shifting of those items.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a compartmentalized transport container which is constructed of breakage-resistant plastic or the like to provide a sturdy and lightweight transport container.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a compartmentalized transport container which includes a lockable top lid, one or more handles and wheels on the bottom thereof which combine to produce an easily transportable transport container for use in a variety of situations.
Finally, an object of the present invention is to provide a compartmentalized transport container which is simple and inexpensive in construction and safe and efficient in use.